Flat panel televisions and computer monitors have largely replaced conventional cathode ray tube (CRT)-based televisions and computer monitors. Although flat panel televisions and monitors (hereinafter “flat panel displays”) have reduced the size and weight-bearing requirements of entertainment center furniture and other conventional cabinetry, many consumers have started mounting these flat panel displays to the walls of their homes and businesses to remove the need for entertainment center furniture and related cabinetry entirely. Consequently, wall mounting devices have grown in popularity as consumers replace older CRT televisions and monitors with flat panel displays.
Conventional wall mounting devices include at least two components: a wall bracket adapted to be coupled to the wall, and one or more mounting brackets adapted to be coupled to the flat panel display. These wall mounting devices typically allow an end consumer to mount the flat panel display in just a few steps. First, the consumer attaches the wall bracket to wall studs or other load bearing surfaces on a wall. Next, the consumer couples the mounting bracket(s) directly to the flat panel display, such as via pre-formed threaded apertures formed in the flat panel display. The consumer then couples the mounting brackets to the wall bracket, thereby completing the mounting of the flat panel display to the wall.
Conventional wall mounting devices may be fixed mounts that lock the flat panel display in one orientation, or tilting mounts that allow tilting or swiveling of the flat panel display with respect to the wall to provide varying inclination angles for the flat panel display. In conventional tilting mounts, the mounting brackets include a display bracket coupled to the flat panel display and a hanging bracket adapted to removably couple the display bracket to the wall bracket. The hanging bracket is generally coupled with the display bracket during the manufacturing of the wall mounting device to form a one-piece mounting bracket for the end consumer. The hanging bracket is pivotally coupled to the display bracket to provide the tilting function once the mounting bracket has been engaged with the wall bracket.
The wall bracket of conventional wall mounting devices typically includes a support plate with a top rail and a bottom rail, the top and bottom rails spaced forward from the support plate to extend away from the wall. The mounting brackets typically include a rigid hook on an upper end to engage the top rail of the wall bracket. Conventional mounting brackets also include a retractable screw or bolt on a lower end which may be threadably retracted to allow the mounting bracket to slide over the bottom rail of the wall bracket. After the mounting brackets are positioned on the top and bottom rails, the retractable screw or bolt may be advanced to engage the bottom rail and thereby block the lower ends of the mounting brackets from pulling away from the wall bracket.
However, the use of a retractable screw or bolt has certain drawbacks. If the flat panel display is tilted abruptly or jostled, the retractable screw or bolt may damage the threaded aperture in the mounting bracket, thereby loosening the lower end of the mounting bracket and providing a potentially unstable mount for the flat panel display. Furthermore, the mounting brackets are typically located closer to the center of a flat panel display than the side edges, which places these retractable screws or bolts in very hard-to-reach locations. The minimal clearance between the flat panel display and the wall may lead to difficulties in trying to access and rotate the retractable screws or bolts with adult hands or suitable tools. This may encourage an end consumer to leave the screws and bolts unengaged, which provides a situation where the lower ends of the mounting brackets are not secured and may freely move off the wall bracket. Furthermore, consumers often forget to fully retract the screws or bolts before lifting the flat panel display onto the wall bracket, and the screws or bolts then prevent proper seating of the mounting brackets on the wall bracket. The flat panel display must then be removed from the wall to retract the screws and lifted onto the wall again, which can be a frustrating and arduous task for the consumer.
Thus, it would be desirable to provide a wall mounting device that addresses these and other shortcomings of conventional wall mounting devices.